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Baseball players can't skimp on their hitting, pitching, and catching skills if they want to dominate the game—a fact that the instructors at Northshore Sports Complex know well. In 1982, Cody Webster earned the title of MVP while playing for the Kirkland Nationals All-Star Team—the first US team to win the Little League World Series. He continued to play throughout high school and college, and went on to coach for Pepsi Baseball. His cohort, Craig Bishop draws on 20 years of coaching experience at high schools and colleges. Together, the duo shares the task of teaching students the fundamentals of the game inside batting and pitching cages.
Surrounded by a chain-link fence and divided by safety nets, their astro-turfed cages shelter machines that launch baseballs and softballs straight down the plate. These projectiles can reach speeds up to 85mph, which would be really scary if the baseballs weren't tranquilized beforehand. Sans the machines, pairs can take to the cages to hone their pitching and catching abilities.

Benjamin Surdi worked in the carpet cleaning industry for 24 years before he opened Pure Clean in 2008. His goal: to address the biggest issues customers had with conventional carpet cleaning, issues such as returning stains, dry time, and leftover residue. Years of development went into creating Pure Clean and its carpet cleaning system, which eschews all detergents and tooth-whitening mouthwashes. The system uses ElectroWater, an ionically charged and super-purified water, so it's effective to deep-clean carpets, yet still safe enough to drink. The company's 12-step carpet cleaning process begins with pre-inspection and pre-treatment to loosen stains and soil, as well as stain guard and grooming. After being blasted with ElectroWater by a 350 horsepower engine, the carpeting is turbo-dried in about three hours. The Green Seal-certified, hypoallergenic system also cleans tile and upholstery.

Stewart and Julie Patey ensure restful evenings in the Everett area with comfortable mattresses from Ergomotion, Reverie, and Restwell. With the help of their knowledgeable sales staff, they dispense advice and help outfit sleeping chambers with elegant bedroom furniture and accessories. They keep bedrooms safe and clean with an inventory of hypoallergenic pillows and waterproof Protect-A-Bed mattress protectors, which guard against stains, bacteria, and dust mites. Upon delivery of a new mattress, Stewart and Julie can also take away the old mattress, which they in turn donate to charity or use to build forts.

All Phase Pressure Washing and Painting's licensed, bonded, and insured technicians travel throughout Seattle to treat residential and commercial exteriors. With powerful spraying equipment, they slough away grime from weathered siding, roofs, gutters, and windows. They can also paint exteriors to freshen façades' appearances and interiors to hide the muddy remnants of living-room rodeos. Additionally, the company seals driveways to prevent wear and tear and specializes in restoring cedar decks and roofs.
Several commercial clients, including multiple condominium complexes and select Holiday Inns, rely on the knowledgeable and handy staffers at All Phase for maintenance and repair projects.

It's easy to assume that having windows washed is strictly an investment in the looks of the home. While that's certainly a major part of it, the truth is that regular cleaning also prevents scratching and permanent staining of the glass, either of which can significantly reduce the life of the window and the well-being of indoor pet dandelion colonies. The licensed, insured, and bonded specialists at Clear N' Bright Windows help homeowners save money in the long run with window-washing services that clear away dirt and dust that's accumulated on the glass pane, and sill. They also extend their cleaning expertise to other parts of the exterior as well, such as clearing leaves and debris out of gutters, removing moss from the roof, and pressure-washing siding.

Whether staining a backyard deck or cutting and installing a gleaming new granite counter top, the home-improvement experts at Monet are dedicated to helping homeowners achieve their aesthetic vision. The Seattle Home Pro-approved provider's staff are licensed, bonded, and insured, so clients can rest easy that a good job is guaranteed even if the earth's gravity is suddenly reversed. Technicians can transform homes by applying fresh coats of paint on walls and trim, as well as refinishing doors, decks, and cabinets. Additionally, they provide services as hands-off as recommending a new color palette, or as hands-on as completing custom remodeling and renovations on the entire house. An on-staff LEED design associate introduces new eco-friendly plans for kitchens, bathrooms, and other areas of the house. Of course, Monet will also work with other designers if needed.

Groupon Guide

Beekeeping, with its veiled protective gear and plumes of smoke, can seem a bit intimidating to the outsider. To help demystify the art, we spoke to Krista Conner, the president of Puget Sound Beekeepers Association (PSBA) and owner of beekeeping consulting business Seattle Bee Works. Below, she offers up some tips and advice to help get the novice beekeeper off to a good start.
Know the time and cost involved
While beekeeping can be relatively lower commitment compared to other urban farming activities—say keeping chickens or goats—it still will require a considerable investment of time and money. Krista recommends at least two hives to start (most Seattle lots are zoned for up to four) and estimates the cost at about $500 for the equipment, hives, and bees.
As for the time commitment, each hive will require about 20 minutes for inspection, performed every one to three weeks, depending on the time of year. “[Beekeeping] kicks up late March in the Seattle climate and shuts down in the October timeframe,” said Krista, noting that beekeepers start checking hives in March to early April about every three weeks. During early summer, it will move to every week, then taper down to every two weeks as the season progresses.
Volunteer
Krista recommends that newbies find a mentor and spend some time with their hives to get a sense if the activity is truly for them. Don’t know any beekeepers yet? The PSBA has an apiary at the Washington Park Arboretum (2300 Arboretum Dr. E), where volunteers can sign up for a work party and get some hands-on experience.
Another benefit of having a mentor? A backup beekeeper who can check your hives if you plan to go on summer vacation.
Get to know your neighborhood
“Think beyond your yard when keeping bees,” Krista said. If beekeeping is already popular with your neighbors or the area doesn’t have enough pollen-producing flowers, your hives might not have enough resources to survive. Bees will fly about 1–2 miles to forage, so take an inventory of the flora within that radius to make sure your hives can thrive. Another tip: look up. Flowering trees like linden and maple are also good signs that your neighborhood will support your bees.
Learn to love the Himalayan blackberry
Seattleites already live with some level of ambivalence for this plant. On the one hand, it’s invasive, thorny, and unstoppable, choking out native plants and taking over green spaces. On the other, it produces a pretty tasty berry that’s free for the foraging. But for beekeepers, there’s another entry in the pro column: the plant’s abundance sustains much of the honeybee population. If you have a corner of your yard that’s succumbed to this invader, consider leaving it in place for the benefit of the bees.
Be safe
With proper precautions, beekeeping is generally safe. Krista said she’s been stung fewer than 10 times in about as many years of beekeeping. Hive placement can be critical: you’ll want to make sure the bees’ flight path doesn’t head toward other areas of the yard used for recreation (or straight toward your neighbor’s deck.)
Be patient
“For the first-year hive, [new beekeepers] shouldn't plan to get honey,” Krista said. The bees will need about 60 pounds of honey stored up to winter successfully, and their first year in the hive might only produce enough for their own survival. But with patience and a pollinator-friendly neighborhood, beekeepers can ideally begin harvesting in year two. Krista’s most productive hives (those near a green belt) yield her 30–40 pounds of honey a year.
Learn more
In addition to working with a mentor or at PSBA apiary work parties, there are several ways to learn more about urban beekeeping. The PSBA generally offers a beekeeping series in the spring, and Seattle Tilth offers a variety of beekeeping classes throughout the year. Corky Luster of the Ballard Bee Company (producer of the popular local honey by the same name) periodically teaches classes at Swansons Nursery (9701 15th Ave. NW); check his site for the schedule.